Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Lost Zoo

The old L.A. zoo is in Griffith Park near the merry go round entrance. When it was built in 1913, the city hoped that the park’s natural setting would result in healthier zoo animals and appeal more to visitors. That didn't pan out. During World War I, the City Council forbid the authorization of feeding beef to the animals. Horse meat was used as a substitute, which resulted in many of the animals' malnourishment and eventual death.

But the old cages still see a lot of action (besides graffiti taggers.) The monkey habitat is now a picnic area with BBQs and sugar-drunk kids deep in Nerf gun battles. A lot of fashion and films shoot here. And it stood in for the San Diego Zoo where Lee Wong, the panda, gave birth in Anchorman.